Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 9/3/10

USDA pathogen policies need to go beyond E. coli O157:H7 in beef products, USDA’s newly confirmed Under Secretary of Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen said.

Her comments, confirmed to Meatingplace, appeared in a New York Times article in the aftermath of Cargill’s recall of 8,500 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O26 and related to reported illnesses. It was the first recall for a non-O157 strain of E. coli in beef.

“In order to best prevent illnesses and deaths from dangerous E. coli in beef, our policies need to evolve to address a broader range of these pathogens, beyond E.coli O157:H7,” Hagen said in a written statement. “Our approach should ensure that public health and food safety policy keeps pace with the demonstrated advances in science and data about food-borne illness to best protect consumers.”

To read the entire NYT article, click here.  
 

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.